On my first naive trip from the US to England five years ago, I assumed British and American culture would be fairly similar. But to an American, life in England looks like aliens tried to recreate American culture, achieving the basic structure but confusing the minor details. These details are the most unsettling because although they don't make an major impact on your life, you don't expect basic truths like where the washing machine is located inside the home to change.

Here are 15 times that Britain made Americans very puzzled:

(Image: Cambridge News)

1. The sink inside the sink. Why do Brits put a plastic tub in the sink?

My British colleagues said the washing up tub prevents you from staining the sink or breaking a glass, but I am still confused by its neccesity. I can't imagine ever washing dishes so aggressively that I damage something!

I think the tub's main benefit is food collection, so you can avoid the lovely job of fishing slimy bits from the drain. Many American sinks have a disposal that grinds up food, so I never worried about pieces of food going down the sink.

2. Texts signed with an 'x'. Is this your favourite letter?

When I received a text from my first British friend with an 'x' at the end, I was completely flummoxed. Even though I vaguely knew 'xoxo' meant hugs and kisses in the US, no one ever used the letters, expect maybe a grandma in a birthday card. The 'x' or string of 'x's is such a British hands-off way of showing affection! I have to admit I have quickly adopted the practice.

(Image: Sascha Steinach/DPA/PA Images)

3.Confusing keyboards. Why has the @ sign moved house?

The first time I was confronted with a British keyboard, my typing drastically slowed. Where is the hash or pound sign and how can I write an email without the @ in its familiar spot? I thought our language overlap would keep the keyboards the same, but I was so wrong.

(Image: Cambridge News)

4. One cold hand, one hot hand. Why are there two separate taps in the sink?

I felt like I was transported back to Victorian times when I encountered my first two-taps sink. In the States, every sink has a hot and cold tap, but the water joins into one stream so you don't get one hot hand and one cold hand. I'll adapt!

This conundrum recently made headlines when TV property programme presenter Kirstie Allsopp joked on Twitter that she has made it her 'life mission' to give the appliance a new home. I know people don't mix their toast and their dirty socks, but I can see how doing laundry in the kitchen could create a huge mess.

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In the US, we have plenty of space in even a small home to have the washing machine in another room, but then our homes usually lack charm. Now that I'm looking to buy my own home here, I realise space is at a premium. I'd rather live the 'washing machine in the kitchen life' in an adorable Victorian-era home than live in a square box in the US but have a separate room for the appliance.

6. No outlets in the loo. But where do I straighten my hair?

I searched and searched for the outlet in the loo to plug in my hair straightener, only to find out they don't exist because you might electrocute yourself. I learned when I was little not to mix appliances with water and then happily fixed my hair in the wash room ever since. I also get tripped up by the on and off switch on the outlets, which don't exist in the US. I've charged my phone too many times without actually charging it.

(Image: ABACA/PA Images)

7. Bum bags. This is an awkward one.

We call them fanny packs because fanny means bum or bottom in the US. I learned the awkward way that this word translates into something a little different here!

(Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa)

8. T.K. Maxx. Why not stick with T.J. Maxx?

Tiny differences like this are some of the oddest. The discount retailer is T.J. Maxx in the US with the exact same branding. A Wikipedia search finally revealed this mystery. Apparently, the TJ was 'too similar' to another brand, TJ Hughes, so the company changed one letter. Hmm.

9. The complete absence or knowledge of coffee creamer.

The Co-op employee looked at me like I had two heads when I asked where they kept the coffee creamer. Some shops have ghastly powder creamer but it doesn't compare to liquid creamer. I dearly miss this invention. My morning cup just does not taste the same.

(Image: Matt Crossick/ EMPICS Entertainment.)

10. Contactless debit cards. What is this magic?

The US just recently got chip and pin debit and credit card technology, so we are very behind in this arena. The contactless cards are life changing!

At my last job in Charlotte, North Carolina, we made homemade cakes or brownies for our colleagues' birthdays and presented them with a small gift. I noticed that here everyone has to bring their OWN TREATS. Maybe Americans make too much of a song and dance about birthdays!

My first attempt at Yorkshire puddings (Image: Cambridge News)

12. Yorkshire puddings. But I thought pudding is a dessert?

Life in the US would be much improved by this delicious creation, but I was confused by the name since pudding is usually a gloopy dessert eaten with a spoon in the States. The situation was made even more confusing since Brits usually call desserts puddings. I'd say a Yorkshire pud is just as yummy as a dessert.

13. The word fortnight. This is used outside Jane Austen times?

I truly had noidea what a fortnight meant years ago when I encountered it in a Jane Austen book, and then I thought it was an old-fashioned term that no-one used anymore. So wrong. We are obvious Americans and just say two weeks.

The Battersea Park fireworks over the Albert Bridge in London on Guy Fawkes night (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

14. Guy Fawkes . Does this win the award for the most eccentric holiday?

I love any excuse for a celebration, and Guy Fawkes is the perfect way to spice up a dreary November. If you try to explain the origins of the holiday, you'll sound just a tad strange.

15. Where is the rubbing alcohol?

Americans use rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol as a cleaning solution. It usually comes in a small bottle and is available at any chemist but I got a blank look when I tried to buy some at Boots. You can get the solution in the form of little wipes or turn to the all powerful Amazon.

Have you had a confusing experience travelling in the US? Share with us on Twitter and Facebook.